Hello my fellow book lovers!
Today’s post is a sort of Q&A/Discussion Post in collaboration with Ashley @ Inside My Minds! So be sure to head over and check out her wonderful blog!
We are going to be discussing ALL different kinds of comments we, as bloggers, may receive on our blogs! Of course being a part of the book blogging community I find that generally nice, genuine comments are the norm but there are all kinds which is why we are here to discuss them!
So come and join our discussion but please remember to, of course, be polite and respectful of other’s opinions! Now let’s discuss!
How do comments on your blog generally make you feel?
Ashley- I would rather have comments than likes. I could really care less about “likes.” Comments make me feel that all the time and effort I put into a post was really worth it.
Heather- I would also much rather have comments than likes! I feel that comments are a little more genuine and mean a lot to me, it’s such a wonderful feeling knowing that someone wanted to take the time to drop by and comment on a post! Plus the reason I started book blogging was to be able to chat books with other book lovers.
How do you respond to “nicer” comments to your blog? (Long replies or shorter replies)
Ashley- It usually depends on the comment. If it’s a nice comment that I can really build off of and generate more discussion, I’ll try to leave a longer reply. But if it’s a short reply like “good luck” or “good job” I’ll just leave a short “thank you.”
Heather- Once again I’m mostly agreeing with you Ashley! I find that pretty much all comments I get on my blog are very, very polite and genuinely nice! If someone leaves me a paragraph sized comment that’s fantastic, I actually like long comments more, and I will try and leave an equally long reply and generally this can bring about an awesome discussion about books or other things. If I get a shorter comment that’s just “hey I loved this post!” or “ I really loved this book too!” I’ll usually just leave some sort of “thank you” comment in reply since there isn’t much more to go off of with shorter comments!
How do you handle any trolls commenting on your blog?
Ashley- I moderate every comment I receive on my blog, so I’ve been fortunate enough that I haven’t really dealt with trolls.
Heather- I haven’t had any experience with trolls really but WordPress does a great job of blocking spam (which are kind of like trolls a little bit…) and I also moderate most comments on my blog as well. So if someone leaves a comment just to be rude they’re going to go straight to the trash more than likely.
How do you respond to self promotional blog comments aka people who leave only their links with a “hey check out my blog!”?
Ashley- The majority of time I don’t even bother checking out the blog. I also always send those comments to the trash, I don’t want them on my blog. The only time that I will read a linked post is if I asked for in my original post.
Heather- If a link to the blog is left on a post such as “Top Ten Tuesday” or “Top 5 Wednesday” then I think it’s perfectly fine, I’ll definitely go check out the post and answers! Or if we are discussing a book etc. in comments you they leave a link to something they posted that is relevant I have no problem checking that out either. However, if someone drops by and says “hey you should really check out my blog!” or just a link I’m probably not going to go take a look since I feel that they didn’t take the time to even look at the post they dropped a link on.
How do you handle negative comments on your blog?
Ashley- I don’t want any negativity on my blog so negative comments just get deleted. I don’t have time or patience for negativity on my blog.
Heather- For the most part I find that the book blogging community is very easy going and laid back so there really aren’t that many people who are negative or would leave negative comments. However, if I were to receive one I would probably either delete it or try and handle it in the most respectful way I can manage. I’ve always been told to “kill ‘em with kindness” so that’s how I would more than likely treat negative comments as well!
Is there any blog comment advice you’d like to give to any newbie book bloggers out there?
Ashley- If you need something clarified ask for clarification. Also, don’t leave links to anything unless the blogger asks you to leave them, especially self-promo links. I feel like self-promo links look desperate. If you want to leave a comment, make sure that the comment is actually relevant to the post and not something random.
Heather- Mostly I’d say if you’re new to try and keep away from purely self promotional comments such as the “hey check out my blog” type, if you want people to take a look at your posts then try and leave polite and genuine comments and they’ll maybe come take a look! I’d also say try and be as respectful as possible with other bloggers even if you disagree with what they’re saying!
Come join the discussion!
How do you generally handle comments on your blog? Positive, negative, self-promotional, trolls?
Do you like getting comments more than likes?
thesassygeek.wordpress.com 
this is a cool collab! 🤗 i am way to early into the community to say much about that. but since i’ve been posting, i never had a bad or negative comment, which makes me very happy! i also love answering or responding to comments, because you can talk to people and thats why i am here. i always try to leave a comment if i like a post and have something to say. i feel that every one here is so nice and you can easily get to know people very good through comments. that’s what i like most! 💕
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Thank you!
That’s great that you haven’t had to deal with any negativity! I have to say the book blogging community is pretty laid back so negative comments don’t come by very often!
I love commenting for that same reason, that is why we are all here, to get to chat about books with other book lovers! 🙂
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This was an interesting discussion post! I once had someone call me a bitch right on my comments section, which shocked me more than anything. I can’t remember if I deleted it or not, but I definitely ignored it…
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Thank you!
That’s awful! I’m so sorry that happened to you and yes I would definitely have deleted or ignored it too! Hopefully you haven’t had to put up with any of that since then! 🙂
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No, luckily I haven’t come across anything of that sort since 🙂
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I can’t say about dealing with comments either, but I do prefer comments over likes. Especially when I know I just killed a post and someone else can tell. Like that connection right there, that’s us, lol. I’ve only gotten a few of those though. Today was my first time ever dealing with a spam comment; never saw any negativity as of yet. Everything is usually cool and chill.
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Comments are definitely a great way to talk about a post or just anything in general and connect with other readers or bloggers! Usually my “spam jail” catches spam comments right away so I don’t even notice them until I go check but I hate to say that you’ll probably get more, haha! Glad you haven’t had to deal with any negativity though and like you said for the most part everyone is pretty laid back! 🙂
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Right about that. Interaction is one of my top goals when it comes to blogging. What I like though is how I started getting spam after I made that comment, lol. Not even lying.
I’m hoping nothing negative comes my way, but negativity has always been something that doesn’t bother me to handle. They can try me anytime, 😀
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I loved reading this post. I’ve luckily never had to deal with trolls. But I did get a lot of spam comments one day. Now that’s sorted. I definitely appreciate comments more than likes. At the end of the day, that’s why I started a blog. To discuss about books and bookish opinions with other people. I guess it’s a bit early for me to get negative comments.
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Thank you so much!
Glad you haven’t had to deal with any trolls or negative comments, spam gets annoying but at least it isn’t hurtful!
Comments definitely are one of the best parts of blogging, you’re right, it is why a majority of us are here doing it and getting to chat books is always fun! 🙂
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This is a great post!! I prefer comments over likes, however sometimes I guess people don’t always know what to say after they read your post so they just like it…I know I do that sometimes. I am more of a lengthy comment type of person, I can’t help it, I have always been a bit of a chatter haha. I have been lucky so far and not had any negative posts on my blog, I find everyone on here to be really nice and respectful….though I guess every once in a while a troll will pop up. I have only had to block one blog from mine, because they had an automatic message that came up every time I did a post, it was like “I found this post very interesting”. It really annoyed me because I know that the person hadn’t actually read it, they were probably really just trying to get me to look at their blog
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Ahhh, I don’t know if the person follows me or not, but there’s a blogger who depending on what time one of my posts goes up, they’re the first person to “like” it, and I’m thinking to myself, did this person actually read my post. And how do you block people? I’ve been trying to figure that out.
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I’m trying to remember how I blocked them…I think I was on the computer and I was able to click on the persons name then block them. A question came up asking why and I just said because it was spam ☺
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Thank you!
That’s the perfect way of putting “likes” and that’s pretty much what I do sometimes as well! Like you said sometimes you love the post but just don’t know what to say!
I’m a lengthy commenter as well, sometimes, I feel a bit bad about leaving 3 paragraphs of text haha but at least it isn’t just me!
Everyone in the book blogging community is very laid back so I agree there really isn’t that much negativity floating around but there is always a chance!
I would have blocked that person too, that’s so strange! I agree it was probably a way for them to try and get more views or followers.
🙂
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Great post Collab, and to give my two cents I do prefer comments over likes, it’s much more rewarding having someone commenting on a post,it’s makes all the hard work worth it and appreciated.
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Thank you!
I agree that comments do really make you feel like putting all that effort into your posts was worth it! It’s very rewarding! 🙂
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Very interesting and unique topic. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone tackle the topic of comments. I love comments, obviously. I think all of us do, but I really love the the comments that seem to have been born from a genuine interest in my post, rather than someone leaving a comment for the sake of it. I’m not sure if that makes sense. I’m always appreciative of any comment, but the thoughtful ones really stand out. Though, I also like the ‘like’ button because I feel like those are people would would have just written a ‘nice post’ or ‘good job’ and chose to express that through a button rather than a comment.
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Thank you so much!
I agree that I really love those genuine comments that generate a bit more of a discussion about the post or another topic!
So yes it definitely does make sense and like you said we are appreciative of all comments!
I agree that the ‘like’ button is definitely for people who liked the post but wouldn’t have anything more substantial to say and that’s why it’s still great! 🙂
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Great post, girls! I personally never had to deal with negative comments thus far (thankfully) and I absolutely agree that comments are way more desirable than likes.
I’m okay with short comments but longer ones are always preferable as I enjoy chatting with other bloggers about common interests (but also divergent opinions).
I completely ignore self-promotional people… They add nothing to the discussion.
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I loved both your answers, I agreed with everything you said Heather. Especially your advice for newbie bloggers on being respectful regarding someone elses opinions, I’ve seen people respond rudely in the past on different platforms and for me If I ever have any other opinion on a character or a book I just always want to discuss it. I like hearing why they might love something or hate something and then sharing my points, sometimes you that other person can also have seen something in a whole different light which truly makes you think!
Amazing post Heather.
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